


Understand

by i_kinda_like_writing



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Derek Comes Back, Derek is a Good Friend, M/M, Misunderstandings, Scott is a Good Friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-21
Updated: 2015-08-21
Packaged: 2018-04-16 09:04:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4619574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_kinda_like_writing/pseuds/i_kinda_like_writing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek comes back to Beacon Hills to fix the shit storm that Scott and Stiles have gotten themselves into.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Understand

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this after 5x09 because you know that if Derek was there he'd fucking get them to communicate and he wouldn't trust Theo one bit.

There’s a prickly feeling under his skin the second he passes the town line. He knew he wasn’t ready to come home yet, knew he still needed to take some time before figuring out how to approach the subject he was running from, and he was nowhere near that yet. But this is important and if there was any reason he could think of that would bring him back before he was ready, this would be it.

Derek hates being back in Beacon Hills but Scott and Stiles are in a fight so big Stiles was willing to tell Derek _everything_ that happened and he knows he needs to be here. He’s never been very good with words, and he knows he needs to make his argument well if he’s going to fix this, so he goes over what he’s going to say in his head once again. Beacon Hills is a small town, so only fifteen minutes later he’s at the McCall house.

Scott’s dirt bike is propped up in the driveway but Melissa’s car isn’t there, meaning it’s just Scott in the house. Derek walks up to the front door, waiting a second to give himself time to take in his environment. Scott is breathing normally upstairs, faint pencil scratches accompanying it, so Derek assumes he’s doing homework. He smells stressed, but Derek already knew he would be, and also a little panicky in a way. Derek clears his throat and the pencil scratches stop.

“Hello Scott.” Shuffling followed by heavy footsteps, then feet coming down the stairs. Scott’s just on the other side of the door when he stops to take a deep breath and a part of Derek is a little proud that Scott takes in his surroundings before making decisions. Then the door opens and Derek takes in how Scott looks; older, a little, and tired, so tired. It makes his job a little harder, but Derek thinks he can push through how sad Scott looks long enough to get his point across.

“Derek,” Scott nods solemnly. A pang in Derek’s chest reminds him of how Scott used to be happier, would answer the door with a smile or a puppy-like grin, not this almost-frown that makes Derek feel like he’s attending a funeral. Trust him; he’s been to enough of them.

“I have to talk to you,” Derek pushes past him and into the house, disregarding manners for the time being. There are more important things at stake.

“Alright,” and Scott closes the door behind them. It’s a testament to how he lives his life that werewolves barging into his home with no explanation is considered normal. Scott follows him into the living room and takes a seat in the armchair, so Derek takes a seat on the far end on the couch. “What is it?”

After waiting a second to fold his hands together, Derek calmly says, “You need to stop fighting with Stiles.” Emotions pass through Scott’s eyes like the scenery when you drive; quickly and hard to discern. But Derek has good eyes, so he watches as surprise turns to confusion which morphs into a rage that Derek’s never seen on Scott.

“You don’t know what he did.” Scott says quietly, shaking a little as if containing his anger is too hard and he can’t control it. “I can’t-he killed someone.” Derek curls his fingers into a fist, digging his nails in to control himself. Scott’s nostrils flare and he looks up, smelling Derek’s accompanying anger. He calms himself quickly, because he knows he can’t be angry during this discussion.

“It was self-defense.” Scott shakes his head, staring at his hands.

“He was defending his dad. Not himself. And he took it too far, he-he didn’t stop when he should have. He-he bashed in the guy’s head.” Derek’s eyebrows furrow at that, thinking back to what Stiles told him. It was the truth, Derek knows that, because Stiles has never been able to lie to him, even with all his tricks. Derek’s too good.

“That’s not what happened. Whatever Theo told you was wrong.” Derek says plainly, knowing it’s fact. “Stiles was working on his jeep when Donovan attacked him. Stiles fought him off by hitting him with the wrench. Then he ran into the library because he thought Donovan wouldn’t be able to get in, and he hid. Donovan taunted him, but Stiles stayed hidden. When Donovan found him, Stiles tried to run, climbed up the scaffolding. Donovan told him he was going to eat his legs, so Stiles pulled out a screw in the scaffolding and a few iron bars fell down, through Donovan’s chest and killed him. Stiles went to pull it out, but he was already dead.”

Scott starts shaking his head again, eyebrows furrowed like he’s confused but still angry at something Derek doesn’t know of.

“No, _no_ , then how did Theo know about it? The body was taken right after.” Derek frowns at that; why is Scott trying so hard to make it seem like Stiles killed someone?

“He came in after, saw the body, and left. Probably to use it as blackmail later.” Scott just keeps shaking his head. It gets Derek even angrier, that Scott doesn’t trust his best friend in the world. He knows that Scott’s been having issues lately, but if you can’t trust your brother, who can you trust?

“But, but,” Scott stops, frowning more, anger and confusion pouring off him in waves. “If that’s how it happened Stiles would’ve told me. He would’ve said that Donovan was going to kill him. All-All he said was that he threatened his dad.” It’s then that Derek shoots up, too angry to control himself anymore.

“Stiles doesn’t tell you anything, Scott! Not about himself, he never has! You know this! When he was younger, and his mom was getting sick, he never told you he didn’t have a packed lunch or that he was having a panic attack. Back when Gerard was here and Stiles got kidnapped, beaten in a basement, and was forced to watch as Erica and Boyd were tortured, he never told anyone. He hasn’t spoken a word about the nogitsune, not that anyone’s asked. Did you really think he could just walk away from something like that? Being trapped in his own body and forced to kill? Stiles doesn’t tell you _anything_ , but I used to think he didn’t need to. Apparently, I was wrong.”

Scott just kind of sits there, shell-shocked. He hadn’t known any of that, hadn’t noticed anything besides some anxiety, but nothing extreme. No signs of PTSD, no signs that he wasn’t okay, no panic attacks. Was Stiles really that good at hiding it? How could Scott not know? Stiles tries so hard to make sure his weaknesses are hidden that even Scott, who knows everything about him, couldn’t tell.

“Oh my god,” Scott breathes out. “I-I,” a hard swallow, “I didn’t know.” Derek straightens up, satisfied that Scott has figured out what he’s been trying to say.

“Now you do. So fix it.” He starts for the door, ready to get out of this town before something keeps him here for any longer. There’s only a short window of time before something supernatural will jump out at him, or, god forbid, Stiles sees him and Derek can’t make himself go.

“Wait,” Derek turns back and Scott is on his feet, looking confused. God, Derek hopes he doesn’t have another way to convince himself Stiles is a murderer. “How do you know all of this?”

Oh. That might be worse.

Derek doesn’t know how to explain that he can understand Stiles better than himself, how nothing Stiles does can hide his pain from Derek, how Derek can connect with Stiles in a way he’s never been able to before. It’s too much, especially after the heavy information Derek just dumped on him, so Derek tries to keep it simple enough not to invoke any more questions.

“We,” he pauses, taking a second to figure out how to phrase it. “We get each other.”

Confusion passes over Scott’s features once again, before a small bit of shock, and then understanding. Derek hopes he doesn’t understand completely, but it seems like it’s too late.

“All-Alright.” Scott nods. “Thank you.” Derek nods back, opening the front door and taking a step out of the house. “You’ll-You’ll be back, right?” Scott asks, looking hopeful in a way that makes Derek think the young Scott who never wanted to be a werewolf still might be in there somewhere.

“Of course,” Derek closes the door behind him; _I can’t just leave my mate behind_.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! Comments and kudos are always appreciated :)


End file.
